Poem: Patterns in Sand

Books & Poetry

This week’s Poet’s Corner contributions from Bev Hedgman go from Adelaide’s beaches to its back streets.

Wednesday January 20, 2016 Comments

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Sand circles. Photo: Cedar Beauregard/flickr

Patterns in Sand

I stood on the pier and watched
There below as a man
Developed a pattern in sand.
Patterns, of circles, of hoops
And occasional loops,
With the rake in his hand.

I watched as there grew
‘Neath the tines on the rake
Guided by hands
And his fast stepping feet
An intricate pattern.
I stood there transfixed.

But the tide it was turning
I could see it would take
That intricate pattern
The man did just make.
A wave, it swept over
In a flurry of foam.

With the rake in his hand,
He turned and went home.

Back Street in Adelaide

Back streets,
Narrow, dark, shadowed.
Crowded, crumbling houses,
Unloved, unkempt.
Verandahs, covered
In broken furniture, old treasures, garbage
Waiting for the council truck
To collect.
Ignominious end.

Gardens, roses blooming bravely
In warm winter sunshine.
Pink, yellow, red, perfumed,
Neglected,
Thorny, rampant, old.
Once cared for, loved,
Brightening shadowed back streets
And small crumbling houses.
Indestructible friends.

Bev Hedgman, originally from New Zealand, lives in the Adelaide Hills. There she enjoys walking with dog Harry and is a member of Hill Poets, whose second anthology Through the Tunnel was reviewed in InDaily. She also runs a writing group at the Norton Summit Community Centre and has enjoyed poetry over a lifetime, being introduced to it by one of those “special teachers”.

Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to poetscorner@solsticemedia.com.au. A poetry book will be awarded to each contributor.

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<h1>Poem: Patterns in Sand</h1>

<p><p>This week’s Poet’s Corner contributions from Bev Hedgman go from Adelaide’s beaches to its back streets.</p>
</p>
																		<address><a href="https://inreview.com.au/contributors/compiled-by-john-miles/" class="author">Compiled by John Miles</a></address>
											
							<h2><a href="#patterns-in-sand" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="patterns-in-sand"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Patterns in Sand</strong></h2>
<p>I stood on the pier and watched<br />
There below as a man<br />
Developed a pattern in sand.<br />
Patterns, of circles, of hoops<br />
And occasional loops,<br />
With the rake in his hand.</p>
<p>I watched as there grew<br />
‘Neath the tines on the rake<br />
Guided by hands<br />
And his fast stepping feet<br />
An intricate pattern.<br />
I stood there transfixed.</p>
<p>But the tide it was turning<br />
I could see it would take<br />
That intricate pattern<br />
The man did just make.<br />
A wave, it swept over<br />
In a flurry of foam.</p>
<p>With the rake in his hand,<br />
He turned and went home.</p>
<h2><a href="#back-street-in-adelaide" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="back-street-in-adelaide"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a><strong>Back Street in Adelaide</strong></h2>
<p>Back streets,<br />
Narrow, dark, shadowed.<br />
Crowded, crumbling houses,<br />
Unloved, unkempt.<br />
Verandahs, covered<br />
In broken furniture, old treasures, garbage<br />
Waiting for the council truck<br />
To collect.<br />
Ignominious end.</p>
<p>Gardens, roses blooming bravely<br />
In warm winter sunshine.<br />
Pink, yellow, red, perfumed,<br />
Neglected,<br />
Thorny, rampant, old.<br />
Once cared for, loved,<br />
Brightening shadowed back streets<br />
And small crumbling houses.<br />
Indestructible friends.</p>
<p><em>Bev Hedgman, originally from New Zealand, lives in the Adelaide Hills. There she enjoys walking with dog Harry and is a member of Hill Poets, whose second anthology <strong>Through the Tunnel</strong> was reviewed in InDaily. She also runs a writing group at the Norton Summit Community Centre and has enjoyed poetry over a lifetime, being introduced to it by one of those “special teachers”.</em></p>
<h5><a href="#readers-original-and-unpublished-poems-of-up-to-40-lines-can-be-emailed-with-postal-address-to-poetscornersolsticemedia-com-au-a-poetry-book-will-be-awarded-to-each-contributor" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="readers-original-and-unpublished-poems-of-up-to-40-lines-can-be-emailed-with-postal-address-to-poetscornersolsticemedia-com-au-a-poetry-book-will-be-awarded-to-each-contributor"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to poetscorner@solsticemedia.com.au. A poetry book will be awarded to each contributor.</h5>
							<p>This article is republished from <a href="https://inreview.com.au" target=_blank  rel="canonical">InReview</a> under a Creative Commons licence. Read the <a href="https://inreview.com.au/inreview/books-and-poetry/2016/01/20/poem-patterns-in-sand/" target=_blank  rel="canonical">original article</a>.</p>
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